Dial for combination-locks.



W. T. BENHAM- DIAL FOR COMBINATION LOCKS.

APPLICATION r1150 050.211 1914.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

WITNESSES.- JQ. T"

COLUMBIA PLANOUHAPH 120., WASHINGTON. I7. 4

WILLIAM 'r. IBENI-IAM, on nonwoon, onto,

DIAL non COMBINATION-LOCKS.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. BENHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norwood,-in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented new and usefullmprovements in Dials for Combination-Locks, of which the followingfis a sp'e'cification.

My improvements relate to dials for combination locks, such are are used on safes, cabinets and the like; and may be employed withsuch dials already in use; and any coma bination look so equipped can easily be run, in dim light or absolute darkness,'by one who knows the combination, The additional cost will be moderate, and the scope ofuse for combination locks With" their manifest advantages, will begrea tly extendeclfias for example, the doors rooms, file-rooms, etc. r

'In the preferred formoi my, invention, there will be substantially no change in appearance from the dials now ordinarily used,

for, the mechanism will be placed under operate on the back of the dial; and only.

the end of a small lever will be exposed:

My improvements embody fundamentally a rotatable dial having suitable gage notches (which may befeither on the front or the back of the dial); an indicator adapted to contact with the Zero-notch at each revolution'of the dial in either direction; an in dicator normally out of contact with the units gagenotches, but adapted to be pressed into contact therewith; a correspondingim' dicator normally out of contact with the group gage notches (as of tens of units) but I adapted to be pressed into contact therewith and'unitary means for-pressing either of these two last-mentioned indicators into contact position at the will of the operator. These. improvements are applied preferably to the under side of the rotatable" dial, in which casethe dial structure'will have sub stantially the appearance of the ordinary 7 dial adapted to be run only by sight; or

they maybe applied to the outer surface of the rotatable dial. In the preferredfogrm, the addedparts are beneath and concealed by the dial face, entirely, out of the way where they could not be readily tampered with or clogged with dirt. Thefunctionof the improvements being to enable theoperator to read the gage by the sense oftouch orhearing, the combination may be made of garages, store- Specification of Letters Patent. 7 I Pate t d NOV 2 1 7 Application filed December 21, 1914. Seria1-No. 878,34,1. Y

and used without resort, to the sense of sight,

if desired. H If the dial is visibly numbered at all, I

prefer to number the gage marks each way from Zero, as set forth in Letters Patent No. 1,113,865, ISSLlQd-tO me October 13, 191e, as

this is the method of counting and running,

any given combination used with my improvements. of depressions,may beused as gage marks.

My invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings, in which r Figurel is a plan or face view of the dial structure, in which the special mechanism of my invention is appli d to the unders de of the rotating dial platel and therefore not Elevations or ribs, insteadvisible in the figure except the terminal but ton of the shifter lever Fig. 2 is'aplanor I face View of the undersideoif the rotating dial plate removed; Fig. 3 is a face View,

corresponding With Fig. 1, of the dial case h t d e the pivoted levers in position to act upon the plate removed, showing underside of. the dial plateyliig- 4: is a cross section, shown in elevation, of thedial structure,.includin g ,the diah plate and casing, .taken'on thedotted line '0 with th finger piece sectioned on the line 9 bothof Fig. 3 and of 0 0f Fig. 5. The dial stem is cut away flush With the under-surface of the.

dial plate/ Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the,

with r each way from zero upward as already in dicated. The underside of the dial A? has:

three separate series of gage notches concentrically arrangedin clrcles one within the othere The outer one of hese, 50, indicates single units; those inthe circle, 3 indicate groups of tens of units; and the in; o one s a sing e notohe, which indicates zero, or the starting point the count; but,

because of the placin otthe indicator ilh tended to contact with it below the Center of the dial, said notch, e, is placed on the same radius extended as the unit indication 750911 the face of the dial. 7

The Zero indicator comprises a small wheel 6 journaled in the fork of the lever B which is hinged at b and fastened to the bottom of the dial casing at If. The wheel end of the lever B is held outward so as to constantly contact with the underside of the dial by the spring 6, and the lever B is located in sucha position that the wheel 5 contacts with the dial on the inner gage circle 2 in which the zero depression .2 is formed.

The units indicator comprises a small wheel ournaled in the forks of the curved lever C which is pivoted at c to the dial seat. The wheel end of the lever C is held inward normally out of contact with the underside of the dial by the spring 0*. The opposite end 0 of the lever C (Fig. 4) is beveled to so contact with the oppositely beveled side of the shifter E that the movement of the shifter against it depresses this end of the lever and throws the wheel a outward against the under-surface of the dial A The lever C is fastened to the bottom of the dial-casing in such a position as to make thewheel 0 contact with the under-surface of the dial on the outer circle in which the units notches are cut.

The tens indicator, with its wheel at,

curved lever D pivoted at (Z to the bottomof the dial-casing, its spring CF and beveled end d are all similar to like parts on the units indicator mechanism arranged for the opposite semicircle of the dial; but the lever itself is so bent as to make the indicator wheel cl contact with the under-surface of the dial on the intermediate circle 3 in which the tens notches are cut.

The shifter E is a lever formed as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, pivoted to the bottom of the dial casing at e, and extends thence radially outward between the inner ends of the levers C and D, through the annular side wall of the dial casing, in a suitably formed slot to admit a limited lateral play in its fixed plane of movement, when pushed in either direc tion by the finger of the operator pressed against the terminal button E At its underside, the outer edgesof the shifter are beveled outwardly, these beveled surfaces occupying the relation to the correspondingly beveled ends of the levers O, D, shown in Fig. 4.

The normal upward tension at the con tiguous ends of the levers, C, D, tends to hold the shifter E in a central position; but when pressed sidewise it rides upon and forces down the contact end of one of the levers which brings the indicator wheel thereof into contact with the underside of the dial. Upon rotation of the dial under these conditions the click and slight jump of the wheel as it passes over the graduations indicates each one to the ear and touch with out the aid of sight; thus enabling the operator to run the combination with ease and certainty; while the click and jump of the zero indicator always independently indicates when the beginning mark is reached or passed.

The mode of operation is simple and will further illustrate the functional advantages of the invention. Entire revolutions may be made in the usual way by using the central knob a, exactitude being indicated by the slight check of movement and the sound produced by the indicator B; but the fin a may be employed to assist in rotating the dial because its vertical position, which coincides with the indicator sound and check of movement, renders the aidof sight quite unnecessary. Partial rotations of the dial in either direction are indicated to the sense of touch and hearing, provided the shifter E is first moved to the right to set the indicator 0 in contact with the dial, and so held during the movement-which indicates to touch and hearing the number of unit graduations. Rotation in either direction over space gradnations of groups of units is indicated in like manner by moving the shifter E to the left, thus setting the indicator cl into contact with the dial on the circle in which group graduations are placed. While therefore these means of indication to the senses of touch and hearing are complete and suiii cient in themselves and render sight unnecessary, yet, as shown herein, they do not interfere With the use of sight alone; or may be used only as an adjunct for use in special emergencies.

Point-s instead of wheels may be used for indicators, but I prefer wheels because the wear is less and no noise will be made loud enough to enable a bystander to observe closely and learn the combination number although not in position to read it on the dial by sight.

I claim as my invention and desire to se cure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. Ina combination look, a rotatable dial provided with graduations upon its surface arranged in concentric circles representing, respectively, single units, uniform groups of units, and the starting point in the count; an indicator adapted to contact with the starting point graduation at each revolution of the dial in either direction; an indicator normally out of contact with the units gage graduations; an indicator normally out of contact with the group gage'graduations, and unitary means for pressing either of said two last mentioned indicators into posit on to contact with their respective graduatlons.

2. In a combination look, a rotatable dial provided with graduations upon its surface, arranged 1n concentric circles and representmg, respectively, single units, uniform groups of units, and the starting point in dial; means whereby either of the single units and units group indicators may be held in contact with their respective graduations; and an indicator constantly in contact with the dial surface on the circle in which the starting point graduation is located; all of said indicators for the purpose of indicating to the operator, otherwise than by sight, the passing of the dial graduations over the indicators in the rotation of the dial.

3. In a combination lock, a rotatable dial provided with depressed graduations, arranged in concentric circles, representing respectively, single units, given groups of units, and the starting point in the count, with two contact indicators, one each for the unit and for the unit-group graduations normally out of contact, but adapted .to be I moved and held temporarily in contact, and an indicator always in position to contact with the starting point graduation.

4. In a combination lock of the character indicated the combination of controllable i11- dicators arranged to contact at will with the .units and group series of graduations of the rotatable dial, and a relatively fixed indicator in constant contact with the dial surface at the circle of the zero or starting point graduation to indicate complete rotations of the dial. 7

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' WILLIAM T. BENHAM.

Witnesses:

A. L. TILDESLEY,

' LEWIS M. HosEA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

i Washington, D. c. 

